


midnight blue

by krissuwu



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Casual Sex, Light Angst, Light Smut, M/M, boys being nerds, i was in my chanyeol feelings and needed an outlet, stationery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:40:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24766339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krissuwu/pseuds/krissuwu
Summary: Somewhere in between hook-ups and notes written on overpriced stationery, Chanyeol falls in love.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 22
Kudos: 131





	midnight blue

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone :>). i was missing chanyeol and in my feelings over his mullet and writing thank you cards on some van gogh cards so i wrote this. surprised i wrote this in one day lol, hope y’all enjoy.

The first thing Chanyeol feels when he wakes up is warmth; pouring in from his closed drapes, spilling over his sweat-slicked skin, lingering from the night before. It somehow makes up for the empty space next to him, the dimple in the mattress still there, not yet reformed.

He stretches, the pain in his lower back is a dull constant as he pads to the shower, sensitive when he’s washing up.

In the kitchen Chanyeol finds a note, placed purposefully next to the shopping bag filled with stationery he’d just bought yesterday. It’s author has taken the liberty of opening the expensive Van Gogh print cardstock and his new pot of midnight blue ink. With a light feeling in his stomach, he makes his way gingerly around the kitchen to pour himself a new pot of tea.

Chanyeol’s unable to restrain himself for long, and he reaches for the note with careful fingers.

_ Most Valued Customer, _

_ Thank you for your patronage, and your generosity. I find your company stimulating, I’ve never met someone who can talk mythology as eloquently as you. I apologize for the pen you asked for being out of stock, I guess you’ll just have to stop by again soon. _

_ Did you know you have a little cluster of moles on your lower back shaped exactly like the Taurus constellation? I hope that explains my special attention to that spot; I was born in May after all. _

_ Come by soon, _

_ Baekhyun _

_ Tabula Rasa  _

_ Fine Stationery and other Gifts _

Chanyeol folds the letter, re-pressing the crease neatly, and placing it in an old tea canister, filled with other notes of different types of paper. He finishes his coffee and prepares for the day ahead.

——

Inside the store, there’s a stick of incense burning: citrus, vanilla, a spice Chanyeol can’t quite place. He flicks through a postcard collection of Yoshida prints, glancing in the direction of the register in the center of the shop. The clerk is carefully organizing a jewelry box filled with an assortment of glass brooches, gloved hands dancing gracefully, a practiced deftness that Chanyeol has grown familiar with.

Chanyeol closes the card book, sauntering over to the counter and placing it there, waiting patiently. From here, he gets a good view of the clerk’s broad back, wide shoulders under sweater vest and pressed collared shirt. 

When the other man straightens up and turns around, Chanyeol smiles, turning the charm up to the highest degree. The clerk doesn’t look surprised to see him, instead graces him with a charming smile of his own, pointy lips pulling down with it in their own unique way. He takes the book to scan, glancing up at Chanyeol briefly as he does so. “Yoshida… not my first choice.” He says, his voice as smooth and gentle as Chanyeol remembers it.

“I may have been wrong about your taste being respectable, then.” Chanyeol replies easily, making a show of dragging his gaze over the man in front of him.

The clerk adjusts his glasses with a crooked finger. “Will that be all for you today?”

“Hmm…” Chanyeol hums, pretending to think. “Get any new shipments?”

The other man nods, turning to examine the cubbies behind the counter. “Nothing you would be interested in, I think.” He says after a moment.

Chanyeol bites his lip. “There is something behind this counter I’m interested in.” The corner of his mouth quirks mischievously.

The clerk smiles again, soft. “Don’t forget your receipt.” Is all he says, pushing Chanyeol’s purchase in a fancy paper bag forward.

“Thank you,” Chanyeol glances down at his nametag. “Baekhyun.”

As he walks out the door, the bell chiming behind him, Chanyeol takes the receipt out of the bag and, as he suspected, finds an address written on the back with green ink. Chanyeol smiles to himself, turning around to glance at the man in the store, before leaving to get ready for the night.

——

The wine is expensive, rightfully so, it tastes wonderful. Across from him at the dining table, sits the tall man who’d been recently frequenting his shop; Chanyeol was the name he’d given Baekhyun the first time they’d been together. 

Baekhyun finds that the tall man’s voice sends shivers all over his body, it’s deep timbre rich. Like the wine. He thinks he’ll ask him to read from his book of sonnets after they go a few rounds. 

Tonight he learns that Chanyeol is a librarian at Seoul’s oldest library, which is apparently a big deal in the book handling world. The way Chanyeol speaks about it is frankly adorable. His eyes are large, sparkling in his excitement. 

Baekhyun feels light, bubbly, laughing freely with Chanyeol, pouring another glass of wine. 

“So.” Chanyeol says once dinner is finished and all the silverware and dishes are put away. “Am I invited to stay longer?”

“Hmm.” Baekhyun pretends to think, folding his arms and looking up at the man in front of him. “I don’t know, are you?”

Chanyeol steps closer, tentative, placing his palms on Baekhyun’s waist, the latter hums in approval, tilting his head, allowing their lips to meet. Chanyeol’s plump lower lip pressed his gently, as soft as Baekhyun remembers him to be.

Baekhyun winds his arms around his chest, tugging him backwards carefully, through the open door of his bedroom. He lets Chanyeol push him onto the bed, pull off his coat and undo the buttons of his dress shirt. Baekhyun returns the favour eagerly. 

Chanyeol is soft, soft, soft under his hands, allowing him to reverse their positions, so pliant underneath him. Baekhyun rubs into him carefully, searching around for the spot that will make him feel good. Chanyeol is musical when he reaches it, arching his back, gripping onto Baekhyun’s flesh like a lifeline. 

They move together, adagio. Chanyeol likes it slow, and Baekhyun is only so eager to indulge him. He swallows the taller’s moans, pressing languid kisses there. Chanyeol wraps his long, bowed legs around his waist, pulling him closer still.

Chanyeol comes first, Baekhyun following soon after, collapsing on his chest, thrusting shallowly to savor the lingering sensitivity. He feels the taller man’s chest as it rises and falls beneath him. Baekhyun sighs, pulling away to pull out, but Chanyeol pulls him back, his eyes wet. “Can I stay?”

Baekhyun stares for a beat, his brain screaming to say no-, “Sure.”

Chanyeol smiles, kissing the smaller man softly before letting him get up to dispose of the condom and grab a towel to clean them up.

Just like always, Chanyeol falls asleep as soon as he’s clean, rolling onto his side, his mouth falling open. Baekhyun sits on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his soft, full curls. Chanyeol really is handsome, large, round eyes, straight, perfect nose, and those lips. Round, full, and pink. Baekhyun drops his hand to his face, tracing the outline of his mouth with his thumb. His eyes flutter in his sleep. Baekhyun smiles, setting his morning alarm on his phone and settling into his bed, allowing a leg to drape over one of his lover’s.

——

When Baekhyun’s alarm goes off in the morning, Chanyeol is gone. He groans, stretching out his sore muscles. It’s cloudy outside, the room dim despite the sun rising nearly three hours ago.

On the nightstand, there’s a postcard, a print of what he recognizes as a Yoshida piece. Rolling his eyes, he grabs the card, the note inside written in the ink he’d sold Chanyeol a few days ago; midnight blue.

_ Baekhyunee, _

_ Thank you for dinner and drinks. I admit I enjoy your company, more than most people I know, despite only knowing you for a few days now. I hope you don’t mind that I woke up before you, and that I brewed you some tea in your kitchen. _

_ I’m getting impatient waiting for that pen! It might have gotten lost in translation (or would the correct word by transportation?), I think you may need to look into that. Customer service is essential for good business~. _

_ I’ll be stopping by next week to ask after it again, so don’t you dare sell it to anyone else before I get there! _

_ Regards, _

_ Chanyeol _

_ P.S: I really like it when you call me Yeollie. _

Baekhyun smiles despite himself, folding up the letter and putting it back on the nightstand.

——

Monday next week, Chanyeol makes his way downtown to Tabula Rasa, anticipation knocking through his bones. He has a plan. He’s confident in his ability to make Baekhyun swoon.

Today Baekhyun’s sweater is a deep, night sky blue, Chanyeol smiles: his favorite color. He sidles up to the counter, waiting politely behind an elderly woman asking his lover which crystals were best to help her contact her husband. Baekhyun, ever kind and patient, handles her professionally, guiding her through a catalog of precious gemstones sold in the store. Chanyeol’s stomach swirls pleasantly when Baekhyun throws him a glance over the woman’s shoulder. He sends him a small wave and a bright smile.

“How can I help you?” Baekhyun asks, arching one perfect eyebrow.

“Any news?” Chanyeol awkwardly leans over the counter on his elbow, resting his chin in his hand, his tall height making him look ridiculous. Baekhyun snorts at the sight, biting his lip to hide his smile, turning around and bending over to sift through some things on the floor behind the counter. Chanyeol is almost certain he’s doing it on purpose, the way his ass sways slightly.

“Does this answer your question?” Baekhyun says, turning back around and placing a black ebony wood box on the counter, sliding it towards Chanyeol.

Chanyeol’s jaw drops. Truthfully, he hadn’t expected it to actually be here. He opens the box carefully, revealing the sleek, black pen inside. Sharp silver tip, embossed with small, intricate silver flowers. He turns the pen around in his hands gingerly, admiring it from every angle. “Wow…” is all he manages to say, breathless. Chanyeol sets the pen back into the box carefully, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet, slapping his card down on the counter.

Baekhyun smiles, his eyes crinkling into little crescent moons, taking the card to the register. Chanyeol watches him, mesmerized by the shorter man. 

“Will that be all?” Baekhyun asks, biting his lip, just like he always does when he wants something more.

Chanyeol rubs his chin, butterflies dancing in his stomach. “There’s an Italian place a few minutes away from here, have you been?”

Baekhyun blinks, seemingly surprised. “No.” He says after a moment. “I don’t think that I have.”

“Would you like to?” Chanyeol grins, flashing his dimple. 

Baekhyun smiles, his cheeks reddening, and a sense of satisfaction fills Chanyeol up to the brim. “I would like that.”

They walk together to the restaurant after Baekhyun closes up the shop for the night, hands in pockets, mutually nervous. The server seats them in a leather seated booth near the back of the restaurant, on the opposite side of the entrance to the kitchen; intimate.

They order the same dish: gnocchi gorgonzola, sprinkled with pancetta and some other herbs Chanyeol isn’t qualified to identify. “So.” Chanyeol starts after their previous conversation about art-, more of a debate, really-, fizzles out. “when was the last time you’ve been in a relationship?”

“Loaded question.” Baekhyun says after taking a long sip of his wine. Chanyeol shrugs, hoping the red tint to his ears shows he meant no harm with the question. Luckily, Baekhyun takes it in stride. “Too recent.”

Oh. The answer makes Chanyeol’s heart drop. He wilts, staring down into his pasta, poking it around with his fork. “Ah.” is all he’s capable of answering with. Baekhyun nods, appearing unphased, which somehow makes Chanyeol feel worse. Maybe he’s reading too much into it, it was only two words, after all. But no, Chanyeol should still be careful, he doesn’t want to push if it really was “too recent”. 

“You?’ Baekhyun’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts.

“Oh.” Chanyeol takes a bite of his gnocchi before answering. “Six months, I think.”

Baekhyun nods, and continues, his face showing no signs of something changing between them. Chanyeol sends him short glances between bites, and sips of his wine. He offers to pay when the waiter comes back with the check, and Baekhyun insists they split the bill. Chanyeol feels his shoulders droop even more, if that were even possible.

They walk back to the parking lot at the mall in silence, Chanyeol staring down at his shoes as they go, and he almost walks into oncoming traffic, stopped by Baekhyun’s hand on his chest.

“Thanks.” Chanyeol murmurs, and Baekhyun nods, the taller missing the gentle furrow of his brows.

“Did you want to come over?” Baekhyun asks when they reach his car.

“Not tonight.” Chanyeol rubs the back of his neck, not able to meet Baekhyun’s eyes. “I have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

“Alright, then.” Baekhyun nods, rocking back on his heels. “Thanks for taking me to dinner. See you soon?”

Chanyeol nods, already stepping away to find his car. When he’s inside, he gently bangs his head against the steering wheel, causing the horn to sound. “Stupid Chanyeol.” He sighs. Oh well, he puts his seatbelt on, and drives himself home.

——

Baekhyun thinks he might have done something wrong. Chanyeol hasn’t stopped by the shop all week, and his phone is empty. He thinks back to that dinner they had, was it then? Remembering the  _ brief  _ conversation they’d had about relationships, Baekhyun thinks that must be it.

“Oh, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun sighs from behind the counter, staring down at the logbook of imports, where Chanyeol’s name is written beside the request for the pen he’d bought. 

On a whim, he asks one of the other clerks to take over his shift, grabbing his coat and heading out to his car.

The library Chanyeol works at is only a fifteen minute drive away. The only downside is how big it is. Baekhyun gulps. He’s never visited Chanyeol at his workplace before, keeping their affair confined to their respective homes and,  _ occasionally _ , the shop. No matter, Baekhyun is determined.

——

Chanyeol deposits another late fee into the register, sighing after the patron walks away, burying his head in his arms. He already felt crappy enough, and the slow day at the library wasn’t making things any better. Seeing as there’s probably not going to be any more patrons anytime soon, Chanyeol closes his eyes and allows himself a nap.

Sometime later, he’s startled awake by someone clearing their throat. He scrambles to get up, feeling embarrassed that he’d allowed himself to fall asleep at work. “Hi, how can I help you-.”

Oh.

It’s Baekhyun.

“Hey.” Is all the shorter man says, his pointy lips stretch into a gentle smile.

“Hi?” Chanyeol says hesitantly, drumming his fingers on his desk. He chews on his lip. “How did you find me?”

“Took a lot of asking around.” Baekhyun sighs, and only then does Chanyeol notice the healthy pink flush on his cheeks. “This place is huge.”

“Mm.” Chanyeol hums, not knowing what else to say. “Are you here for anything specific, because I have a lot of work to do.” He lies, shuffling some papers around on his desk to make himself look busy.

Baekhyun doesn’t say anything, his arms behind his back. Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at him, urging him on. “Well.” Baekhyun starts, rolling the word around on his tongue. “I had something to ask you.”

Chanyeol’s heart jumps at this, but he wills it back into stillness. “And what might that be?”

In lieu of a response, Baekhyun removes his arm from around his back to reveal a rose. Chanyeol’s eyes widen-, it’s not a normal rose, it’s made of several small pieces of folded paper, intricately put together to form the image of the flower. He glances between Baekhyun and the rose. “Huh?” He manages to say, intelligently.

“It’s for you.” Baekhyun says, extending his hand towards the man behind the desk. 

Chanyeol takes it with careful fingers, treating it like a piece of fine china. “Why?”

“Well, for starters,” Baekhyun clears his throat, looking bashful. “I felt like I might have said something wrong the other night, when we had dinner at that Italian place?”

“Oh?” Chanyeol’s heart flips at the mention of that night.

“Yeah.” The other man scratches the back of his head, shifting on his feet. It’s comforting to Chanyeol to see that he isn’t the only one feeling nervous right now. “I didn’t mean that I wasn’t ready for a relationship...I just didn’t know how to approach this-this thing we’ve been doing. I won’t lie to you though, you kinda were a rebound.”

Chanyeol snorts, feeling his eyes tear up nonetheless. “I think I gathered that.”

“Well, I don’t want you to be just a rebound, though.” Baekhyun says, finally meeting his eyes.

Chanyeol feels his eyes widen again, his jaw slackening. “I-...”

“So will you? Be my boyfriend I mean.” Baekhyun says, sputtering it out like he was trying to say it as quickly as possible. “Only if you want to.”

“I do.” Chanyeol rushes to say before he could change his mind. “I do want to be your boyfriend.”

“Oh, thank God.” Baekhyun laughs, and he sounds relieved. Chanyeol laughs with him, his heart feeling full. Baekhyun leans on his desk, crowding into his space. “Do you wanna come over after work?”

Chanyeol glances down at his lips, his smile twitching on his own. He leans closer, checking to make sure none of his colleagues are watching, and closes the gap between them, capturing Baekhyun’s lips in a gentle kiss. “Of course.”

——

After dinner that night, Chanyeol gently pushes Baekhyun down on his bed, kissing every inch of his body, peeling off his clothes with gentle hands. Baekhyun lets him touch him everywhere, lets him take care of him.

Chanyeol is soft, soft, soft when he enters Baekhyun, like he always is, so caring, so perfect. He kisses him, kisses him and holds him close as they move together. Baekhyun comes first this time, eyes screwed shut in pleasure, gripping Chanyeol’s hair tightly. Chanyeol sighs, coming as he feels Baekhyun clenching around him. He slumps onto the shorter’s chest, nuzzling him in content.

Baekhyun’s hand cards through his hair, stroking his head gently. Chanyeol looks up at him, and his smile goes straight to his heart. 

——

When Chanyeol wakes up in the morning, the space next to him is empty. For a moment his heart drops, but then he sees the notecard place carefully on top of the empty pillow. Warmth floods through his body; warmth from the sun peaking through the blinds, warmth knowing Baekhyun left him a note. Knowing Baekhyun loves him. 

_ Yeollie, _

_ Sorry I had to go into work early this morning. I had to cover my assistant’s shift to make up for her covering for me so I could ask you out yesterday. I hope you have a great day at work today! I promise I’ll make us dinner when I get home. That is, if you want to come over again. Either way, let me know. _

_ Thank you, for being you, and everything else. _

_ With love, _

_ Baekhyun. _


End file.
